Argumentation.us - Argumentation essay topics, examples and more.

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Welcome to Argumentation.us. Our goal is to help students develop their writing skills, and assist them with writing Argumentative Research Papers. Feel free to browse around the site, and check things out. If you need any help with anything, do not hesitate to email the webmaster.

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Basic Info on Argumentation:

The purpose of an argumentation essay is to state your opinion on an issue and present an argument to convince others to agree with your opinion and adopt it as their own.

Arugmentation essays involve the use of logic and persuasion, and teach much more than research of a subject. While argumentation essays require more of a student than most other types of essays, they can also be the most enjoyable type of essay to write. Argumentation essays allow the writer to express his or her personal views about a subject. The paper does not only deal in facts, but also in emotional appeal. This site exists to help you learn more about argumentation essays, the process behind writing an argumentation essay, and logical arguments in general.

Argumentation Writing Process:

I. Think about your essay topic. - What are you arguing about? Are you for or against it? How does it relate to your life or the life of your reader? If time allows, spend a day or so analyzing the issue.
II. Start Pre-writing. - Now that you have been thinking about the essay topic, start plotting it out. Decide what position you want to take, and begin doing some basic research on the subject. As you are doing the research, take note of information that surprises you, whether it is for or against your position, information that surprises you can be useful. For example: I once was doing research on FCC regulations and came across the fact that the FCC does not regulate violence in the media in any way. This fact ended up stunning my professor, as he had no idea of this and stated to me that he had always assumed that it was regulated. Teachers spend their time reading papers and anything that seperates your paper from the rest of the papers will have an effect on your grade.
III. Research, Research, Research. - The most useful thing you can have when writing a paper is information. Do enough research for two, or even three papers if possble. That way, when you sit down to assemble your paper, you will not have to worry about not having enough material to work with.
IV. Construct an Outline. - By this time, it should be obvious to you what to concentrate on in your essay. Even if it isn't, don't worry too much. Everyone has their own ways of setting up a paper, but it is usually a good idea to write out some sort of outline that includes a thesis statement before you start writing.
V. Write a Draft. - Follow your outline, and get writing. Consider starting with the body paragraphs and doing the Introduction and Conclusion last. Don't try to edit your outline while writing, make a note on a piece of paper, but just keep writing. You will have time to edit your paper later.
VI. Edit your Draft. - Once you're finished with the draft, reread it and decide what needs to be changed. Make sure everything relates to your argument, and that the paper as a whole flows. Repeat steps V and VI as necessary until you are happy with the paper.

The main point is remember to give yourself enough time to do the paper properly. Don't procrastinate and attempt to write the entire paper the night before it is due. Take your time and make sure to meet whatever requirements you might have been given.

Fallacies in Logic:

Q: What are Fallacies in Logic?
A: Fallacies in Logic are unreasonable argumentative tactics, which are misguided or dishonest uses of legitimate argumentative stratagies. Some of the most common fallacies in logic are listed below:

Inductive Reasoning - Inductive reasoning, also known as generalization, is best displayed by stereotyping. Inductive reasoning bases a conclusion on insufficient or unrepresentative evidence. Many times, inductive reasoning will involve words such as all, every, always, and never.
Post Hoc Fallacy - Post Hoc fallacies, also known as "incorrect cause and effect" fallacies, assume that because one event follows another, the first event is the cause of the second.
Either..Or Fallacy - Either..Or fallacies suggest that there are only two solutions to a problem, and attempt to show how one is superior to the other. This is misleading, as there are normally more than two options for attempting to solve a problem.
Assumptions - Assumptions fall into two main catagories: Arguments with missing claims, and non sequiturs. An argument with a missing claim, fails to spell out and prove a claim that is clearly controversial. A non sequitur occurs when a missing claim is an assertion that few people would agree with.
Unfair Emotional Appeals - Unfair emotional appeals use biased language (words with strong positive or negative connotations), attack a person who holds a belief rather than refuting the persons argument, claim that the majority of people favor the position, bring irrelevant issues into the argument, and associate well known names with the position.

This is just a brief overview of some of the most common fallacies in logic, you can find a more complete list on many other websites.

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